The cuckoo is an iconic summer visitor whose complex brood-parasitic lifecycle and long-distance migration make it one of Britain's most fascinating and challenging birds to conserve. Population declines require understanding of both UK and African factors.
Cuckoo welfare is determined by the quality of conditions throughout their annual cycle across three continents. Individual cuckoos crossing the Sahara in poor body condition face acute welfare challenges of extreme thermal stress and starvation. The reduction in caterpillar availability before migration due to agricultural change reduces the fuel cuckoos can accumulate for migration. Conservation requires addressing conditions throughout the annual cycle - a challenge that requires international collaboration across the cuckoo's range.